Christmas Traditions - Yugoslavia

A little bit of history…

Yugoslavia was a country in the Southeast Europe during most of the 20th century. It came into existence after World War I in 1918 under the name of Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. 

Renamed Kingdom of Yugoslavia on 3 October 1929, it was invaded  by the Axis powers on 6 April 1941. In 1943, a Democratic Federal Yugoslavia was proclaimed by the Partisan resistance. In 1944, the king recognised it as the legitimate government, but in November 1945 the monarchy was abolished. Yugoslavia was renamed the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia in 1946, when a communist government was established. 

The constituent six Socialist Republics that made up the country were SR Bosnia Herzegovina, SR Croatia, SR Macedonia, SR Montenegro SR Slovenia and SR Serbia. After an economic and political crisis in the 1980s and the rise of nationalism, Yugoslavia broke up along its republics' borders, at first into five countries, leading to the Yugoslav War.

After the breakup, the republics of Serbia and Montenegro formed a reduced federation, the Federal Republic of Yugosñavia (FRY), Serbia and Montenegro accepted the opinion of the Badinter Arbitration Committee about shared succession. Serbia and Montenegro themselves broke up in 2006 and became independent states, while Kosovo proclaimed independence in 2008.

An estrange Christmas tradition…

In Yugoslavia, children celebrated the second Sunday before Christmas as Mother's Day. The children creeped in and tied her feet to a chair and shout, "Mother's Day, Mother's Day, what will you pay to get away?" She then gave them presents. Children played the same trick on their father the week after.

Those Yugoslavs who lived in the country fear bad luck if their Christmas log burnt out and so someone had to stand over the log all Christmas night to ensure it stayed lit up.

A Christmas cake called chestnitsa, contains a gold or silver coin and is said that whomever got it could expect lots of good luck.

The Yugoslavs ate roast pig as their Christmas dish and it must be carved a particular way, according to old customs.

Every household had a Christmas crib. According to old customs they went on an expedition to the forests to gather moss with which to line the crib. Also families would have an old-fashioned music box that plays Christmas carols.

MARTA GONZALO